Small Spaces. Grateful Hearts.

We recently downsized a LOT & I’m actually loving it. I never thought I’d say that! ;) Our new home is nearly half the size of our previous house, but I love our new little cozy space.

Here’s why

1. Simplicity. || It feels so freeing to not have to “fill” all the rooms with furniture and decor. With having fewer and smaller rooms, it feels like the perfect invitation to simplify, keeping only the things we truly love. Less space. Less things. & Less cleaning. ;)

2. Purposeful Spaces. || Going off of that, I love that we are actually using the spaces purposefully. The layout of our new home serves our family so much better and there’s no room to waste, so we’re making the most of each space! More on this next.

3. Creativity. || Having less space, gives us the opportunity to get creative. There’s no spacious home office in our new home, but my desk fit perfectly in the corner of our bedroom, so that’s my new little office nook. :) There wasn’t a pantry in our kitchen, but there was a huge coat closet near the kitchen so we’re calling that our walk in pantry. It’s actually been so fun to brainstorm ideas on how to use the space we have and make the most of it. :)

4. Coziness. || I love that we’re all together on one floor. It feels so cozy and encourages all the family time together! The family room and kitchen are open to each other and I feel like that’s where we spend all of our time anyways. :)

5. Freedom. || Downsizing gave us freedom in so many ways. The freedom for me to be able to stay home with our little guy. The freedom to make this home our own and update a few things. The freedom to have more time together as a family as Ry doesn’t have to commute anymore. We will never take this for granted! This one alone makes downsizing SO worth it for us.

We couldn’t be more excited or grateful for this new space to call home and can’t wait to take you all along on this new adventure. Whether it’s a new way to use the space you currently have, a fun design idea, or the inspiration to simplify…I hope this post encourages you sweet friends in some way!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Motherhood is such a gift. A beautiful, refining, and joy filled gift. In our season of waiting for our sweet babe, I was reminded of what an honor this role is. Mama’s you are doing the hard work, the worthy work, the holy work. Raising little ones is not for the faint of heart, but gosh what an honor it is.

I thought it’d be fun to put together a little gift guide filled with “treat yourself” gift ideas. Because let’s be honest, as mama’s we often put ourselves last. I hope you make time for YOU this week mamas, and everyday, because we can’t pour from an empty cup. :) You are so deserving sweet mama friends!

Mama Gift Guide

1. Baskets & Containers to organize pantry // this is such a little thing, but I am SO excited to organize our pantry and make it beautiful and functional for our little family.

2. CFL Mama Mug // Sarah at Chalk Full of Love creates so many beautiful things! It’s been so fun to watch her become a momma this past year too as her little one is just a few months younger than Ollie. I love this classic mama mug. She also just launched a whole mother’s day collection recently too. I’ve always wanted to order her seasonal surprise boxes too - they would make the perfect treat yourself gift! Such fun happy mail to look forward too. :)

3. Birkenstock Sandals // I’ve never splurged on real Birkenstocks, still wearing my ten dollar Target cheapies;) but I’ve never heard a friend say that they don’t love theirs! & they seem to last forever! Such a great summer staple to throw on with anything.

4. Candelles Candle // There’s just something about the soft cozy flicker of a candle that can’t be beat. :) I love that this little shop has uses free wicks, natural oils and fragrances, and all natural soy. So many dreamy scents on my wishlist! Pink Champagne, Cabin Getaway, and Fig & Sugar to name a few. ;) Pick your favorites and grab your 25% off coupon :)

5. Anthro inspired Oily Pouch // Carry your oils on the go in this adorable anthro inspired oily pouch from Baggage & Co.

6. Fiddle Leaf Tree & Plant Stand // Because I cannot keep a plant alive…it’s so bad friends! ;) I love the look of having plants in each room, but I haven’t mastered how to keep up with them or keep them alive yet. So in the meantime, fake plants for the win!

7. Dreamy White Diffuser // This diffuser might just be the most gorgeous diffuser I’ve ever seen! I’m dreaming of this diffuser running in our kitchen at the new house with all the cozy home diffuser blends. :)

8. Fun Anthro bowls // If you know me in real life, you know I loveeee a good snack plate. These fun little bowls would be so cute and easy to throw a few treats in to add to a cheese plate.

9. Mom Life Tote // I am obsessed with this fun tote from one of my favorite little shops of all time! Mrs. Glynn & Co. is the cutest curated little shop. Her creativity and eye for design is AMAZING! & she also happens to be family, which is just the coolest. :)

10. Mama sweatshirt // These sweatshirts and tees are so fun. They are pricey, but I know they would be on REPEAT in my mama wardrobe. :) Perfect to throw on with jeans and sandals, or leggings and tennis shoes.

11. Glowy Skin Oils // If you’ve never tried essential oils before, shoot me a message right here on insta, and I’d love to chat with you and send you some fun little printables for free. Skincare is another area I’m not the greatest at, but it’s one of my goals this next year to make it a priority. I always feel SO refreshed when I do. A few of my favorite “treat yourself” oils for glowy skin: manuka, blue tansy, frankincense.

12. Kindle // Reading is one of my favorite ways to relax at night. I love hard copy books, but the kindle comes in so handy at night when the lights are off and our little one is sleeping or taking on the go. A few months ago I dropped my kindle on the stairs and it shattered. I was so bummed, but it’s been a good opportunity to catch up on my stack of hard copy books. :) I’m keeping my eye out for this one to go on sale and can’t wait to be able to read on it again!

A few bonus ideas

• Bath Tray // relax with a bubble bath and a glass of your favorite sparkling drink

• Mudpuppy Puzzles // one of my most favorite things that has come from this quarantine, making time for this simple joy!

• Cordless Vacuum // such a silly and practical thing, but this has been on my wishlist for the past year. Now that we have a one year old who is always on the go and snacking, I’m thinking we need to invest in one of these soon. ;) It makes cleaning cracker crumbs out of carseats, strollers, and rugs, a breeze.

• Daily Harvest Smoothies // I’ve wanted to try these out for a year or two. They are pricey, but would make such a fun and healthy treat.

• Coffee Mug Rack // Love this giant coffee mug rack from Pottery Barn. I love a good collection of coffee mugs. It just feels so cozy and inviting to have so many fun ones to choose from when hosting loved ones.

• Books // A few of my favorites are Risen Motherhood, Magic of Motherhood, and Less is More

• Fresh Bedding // Another simple and practical thing, but a fresh set of bedding brings me so much joy. It’s so refreshing to crawl into cozy new bedding and is such an easy way to give a bedroom a new look.

• Dear Mama Bible Study from Well Watered Women // this one is currently out of stock, but is on my list to go through sometime in the near future! I love every study I’ve ever done from Well Watered Women and this one is so perfect for this season.

• Something fun to freshen up one little space in the house // I just ordered this kitchen rug to put in front of our sink. It can be as simple as a small plant, a new rug, a piece of artwork for the wall, little things can change up the space. It’s fun to switch things up and make them feel fresh!

• Comfy cute joggers // I just ordered these from Old Navy, but there’s so many cute colors and pairs of joggers out there right now.

• Water bottle // Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I drink so much more water when it’s out of a fun cup or a new water bottle. ;) So many friends have shared that they love this one, so it’s on my wishlist!

I hope that gives you a few fun ideas & I hope you take time for you this week and weekend mama. You deserve it!

To the friends in a season of waiting

To the sweet friends longing to be mamas, I hope you know you aren’t forgotten about. I know this holiday stings & I’m praying for overwhelming peace and God’s perfect timing for your precious families!

Easter Basket Inspiration for Toddlers

Easter will look so different this year than many of us had planned on. Last year, Easter Sunday was our first full day home from the hospital with sweet Oliver as a squishy newborn. So we stayed home and snuggled and slept most of the day. I was so looking forward to getting to celebrate with family this year. Church together, brunch afterwards, Oliver’s first Easter egg hunt, taking family pictures together, dressing Ollie up in his little suspenders, etc. So many fun little things I was looking forward too.

But ultimately, Easter is for celebrating our Savior and I’m SO thankful we still get to do that no matter where we are. I get to choose JOY in this season because Jesus literally gave his life for you and me. So undeserving and truly grateful for that gift. Because our Joy is in Him, we can still celebrate this season and all of these little things are a “get to” and we’re so grateful!

A few of the little things bringing me joy this Easter season

• Oliver’s grandparents putting together and so graciously mailing him such fun easter baskets to open

• Ordering some jumbo plastic eggs to do a little “Easter egg Hunt” in the living room

• Planning to dress Oliver up in his Easter outfit on Sunday to send pictures to family

• The ability to stream our church service online with our church family

• A family walk together outside

• Putting together his Easter basket

• Reading bible stories & Easter books together

Before we dive into ideas, a little disclaimer and encouragement. I LOVE gathering ideas and sharing them here with you all, it’s such a fun creative outlet for me. But just a reminder to all you amazing mommas out there, you are a GREAT momma regardless of what your kiddos Easter basket looks like. :) I always want you to feel encouraged and inspired in this space! These are all just ideas. I’m all for getting creative and making the most with what we have! I’ll share at the end what we included in Ollie’s this year - we kept it simple. :) Just in case you needed this little reminder, our worth is not in what we buy our kiddos. & they probably won’t even remember the physical things we buy them, but they’ll for sure remember the love we give them and the memories we make together.

Alright, let’s dive into some ideas and inspiration!

Since we have a little boy, some of these ideas are geared towards boys, but really most of these could go either way! A lot of the items shared also have options to choose different colors/styles etc. if you have a little girl. :) Again, just inspiration!

• Picnic basket - There are so many fun creative ideas on what you could use as a “basket” for your kiddos. I thought this picnic basket was so fun. I’ve also seen ideas using rain boots, the back of a dump truck, umbrellas, etc. :) Another budget friendly idea I shared around Valentine’s Day, is simply using a basket you already have around the house! Just empty it for the day and fill it up. :)

• Wooden Vehicles - Oliver has been loving playing with anything with wheels. He recently started making “vroom” noises with his dump truck and it’s just so fun to watch him learn and see what he’s interested in. :) This wooden vehicle emergency set is adorable and looks like it would hold up well! I picked up a few little wooden vehicles from the dollar spot at Target. Not sure how long they’ll last but they are perfect for keeping in the diaper bag. :)

• Rain Boots or Spring Shoes - There are so many fun options for little ones for rain boots both on Amazon and at Target. Hunter boots are an investment again, but I’ve had a pair for four or five years now and they are still in GREAT condition and I wear them all winter long. :) If you have multiple kiddos, I think these are a great investment in a neutral color to pass down from kid to kid. :) We put some little navy shoes like these Native’s in Oliver’s easter basket for spring/summertime.

• Spring or Easter books - I shared a fun little round up of Spring & Easter books this past week (click here to check out that post). The books shown above are “Tomorrow I’ll be Kind” and “Easter is Coming”. We put “Tomorrow I’ll be Kind” in Ollie’s easter basket this year. :)

• Cuddle and Kind Doll - I love this company for so many reasons. They’re customer service is outstanding, they love people so well! My mom gifted us “Hudson the Bear” at our baby shower and we’ve used it for all of Oliver’s monthly pictures this first year. It’s held up perfectly through all the love Oliver gives it. ;) I also love that for each doll purchased, Cuddle and Kind provides 10 meals to children in need. So neat! And, every animal they create is just so darn cute! Lucas the Llama is on my wishlist. :)

• Bibs - We go through drool bibs like crazy and it seems like teething phase may never end here, but cute drool bibs help. ;) These ones were so cute! We have a couple Copper Pearl sets as well as these Parker Baby Co. bibs and they are such great quality and budget friendly! I’d love to get Ollie one of these Gathre bibs for mealtimes soon too. :)

• Wooden Food - while collecting wooden toys for pretend play is for sure an investment, as a preschool teacher, I’ve seen just how worth-it it is to invest in quality toys that will last! This little set looked so cute for Easter. Melissa & Doug toys are great quality too and hold up well!

• Sunglasses - We have the Cat & Jack sunglasses just like this from last summer, but any summer essentials are a fun idea to add to Easter Baskets - sunglasses, swimsuits, beach towels, sunscreen, etc. :) My sweet momma sent Ollie the cutest little shark swim trunks and beach towel, such a fun idea!

• Tubby Todd - We love everything Tubby Todd that we’ve tried so far! I put the spring bath/lotion set in his easter basket along with a bottle of sunscreen. Click here to grab your 10% off coupon for your entire Tubby Todd order! Yay!

• Water Bottle - perfect for spring walks and playing at the park all summer long. I still need to decide on a water bottle for Ollie. I’ve looked at the Yeti, Contigo, and Hydroflask toddler water bottles. If you have any favorites to recommend, send them my way! I always love hearing reviews from real life friends. ;)

• Easter egg Chalk - I actually found almost this same exact set in the Target dollar spot (before all of the social distancing began) and scored a package just like this for $1. I loved that these were big pieces for his little hands to be able to grasp.

• Bunny Nesting Set - we recently got Ollie stacking cups and he’s having so much fun with them and loves when he gets to take things apart or stack them back together. This bunny nesting set looks like an adorable little Easter themed gift!

Other Ideas:

• Snacks - depending on the age of your kiddos/their preferences, this could be any type of snack or treat! Oliver got these little sweet potato rusks in his basket, and loves these Yogurt melts too. :)

• Outdoor Toys such as little shovels or rakes or sand toys

• Swimsuits, goggles, beach towels etc.

• Bubbles or sidewalk chalk

• Paints, markers, crayons, etc.

Here’s what we did for Ollie’s basket this year:

• Books - Tomorrow I’ll be Kind & But First We Nap

• Summer shoes - similar to these Native’s

• Wooden cars - Target dollar spot

• Egg chalk - Target dollar spot

• Car Gathre Mat

• Tubby Todd Sunscreen

• Yogurt melts

The ideas are endless! I hope this gives you a few fun ideas to get started or wrap up easter your kiddos easter baskets. :)

SPRING BOOK ROUNDUP

Sharing our Spring & Easter Book Favorites as well as a few on our wishlist!

As a preschool teacher I love love love encouraging parents to read to their children as much as possible! It is so beneficial for children’s development in many ways. As a momma, this is one thing I’ve looked forward too since the moment we found out we were expecting our miracle babe. I love creating a little collection of books for each holiday and season to display on the floating bookshelves in Ollie’s room. It’s so fun to switch out the books to match the seasons and keeps the kiddos interested with “new” books to choose from (or books they just haven’t seen in a while. ;) ). We do this at preschool every couple of weeks too and the kiddos always get excited when they come back to new books.

This doesn’t have to be expensive - libraries are a GREAT resource! I love checking their first and if it’s a favorite we really love, then purchasing it to add to our book collection. :)

Alright here we go, spring picks! Simply hover over the title below to click direct links to each book. :)

Yum Yummy Yuck // We are the Gardeners // And Then It’s Spring // Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt // Worm Weather // The Tiny Seed // Goodbye Winter Hello Spring // In My Nest // What a Wonderful Word

The Good Egg // E is for Easter // Bunny Roo I love You // Easter is Coming // The Little Rabbit // The Runaway Bunny // God Gave Us Easter // Too Many Carrots // Marshmallow

I hope that gives you a few ideas. :) There are SO many fun books out there!

Simple Lattes at Home

Since many of us are staying home now and getting creative, I thought I’d share a simply joy I’m loving! We’ve had our Ninja coffee maker for a year now and absolutely love it. I love that you can make hot coffee, cold brew coffee, tea, etc. & I just figured out how to use the fancy milk frother on the side of it and it has changed the game for making coffee at home. ;)

It’s so simple but makes everyday coffee at home feel like a fancy latte. :) I know I know, it’s not a real latte & doesn’t have espresso, but it makes it feel a little more like a special coffee from a coffee shop. : )

Simple steps to making a “latte” at home:

• Brew a normal cup of coffee

• Pour a splash of creamer in a mason jar and microwave for 30 seconds

• Froth the warm creamer for 30 seconds

• Pour frothy creamer on top of coffee

And that’s it! It’s so simple but such a yummy treat. :) If I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll add a little drizzle of caramel on top too.

I’ll link our coffee maker, some fun coffee cups, and my favorite add ins, but feel free to use whatever you’ve got on hand! A regular coffee maker and a whisk for creamer would work great too. :) This season is teaching me so much about making the most of what we have and I hope it does for you too friend. :)

1 Porter Mug // 2 Ninja Coffee Maker // 3 Natural Bliss Sweet Cream // 4 Ghiradelli Caramel Drizzle // 5 Yeti coffee cup

Happy coffee making sweet friends!

THE BEAUTY IN ALL OF THIS

If you’ve been around here a while, you know that this blog began a few years ago with a desire to find the beauty right where we’re at. Even in seasons that feel overwhelming or maybe aren’t quite what we pictured. As I’ve been thinking about everything that is happening in the world right now, I keep coming back to this message once again. To see the beauty in this season.

It’s not ideal. There’s a lot of hurt in the world right now. There’s people battling this virus and so many other illnesses. There’s families grieving the lost of loved ones. There’s people feeling alone in the midst of this quarantine and social distancing. Selfishly I miss so many things in this season. As a preschool teacher my heart aches to see my sweet kiddos. This month we had SO many fun things planned - a wedding, Easter with family, our sweet Oliver’s first birthday, my husbands birthday, and a weekend at a hotel together. & while I know in the grand scheme of things, these things are small, it still makes me bummed.

But I’ve also seen SO many beautiful things come from this hard season. It’s a crazy thing to realize we’re living through history in the making. I pray we use this opportunity to keep shining a light in this darkness, and spreading God’s love every way we can.

A glimpse at the beauty I’ve seen in this season:

Families at home together.

Schedules cleared. The busyness paused.

Slowing down. Unhurried conversations.

Grace extended like never before.

Small businesses supported.

Communities rallying together.

A nation uniting in small ways.

Businesses switching gears to meet our nations needs.

A new appreciation for so many people and their lines of work.

Prayers boldly prayed.

Those who may have never known Jesus before, joining in as churches offer live stream services.

Encouraging words surrounding us on driveways and windows.

Books dusted off and picked up.

New hobbies tried.

Meals cooked at home. Dinners around the table.

Kids playing outside.

Smiles and waves exchanged.

Generosity shown abundantly.

Mommas cheering each other on.

The gift of time.

& I’m reminded once again, that even in a time such as this, there is beauty in season.

This verse has been one that I keep coming back to throughout this time. I hope it encourages you sweet friends!

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.” - Galatians 6:9

WELLNESS MUSTHAVES

Alright friends, let’s chat wellness must haves!

This winter has been PURE CRAZINESS with all the illnesses & it’s only gotten crazier in the last few weeks. I’ve never been more thankful for the stash of wellness products we’ve built over the last few years & had to share our must haves! These are the things we’ve been reaching for over and over again to keep our immune systems boosted, our home clean, and keep the germs away as much as possible. ;)

A lot of these are our favorites from Young Living, and I’ll add direct links, but if you don’t have a Young Living account yet, click here, or scroll down to the link below that says “get started” to create your account & grab alllll the Thieves! :)

1 Thieves Essential Oil // Diffuse with orange for the yummiest smelling home while helping keep our bodies well! We’ve also mixed up Thieves tea to soothe scratchy throats (1 drop thieves vitality + 1 drop lemon vitality + honey + hot water + lemon slice).

2 Thieves Hand Sanitizer // We keep the mini bottles everywhere - cars, diaper bag, backpacks, purse, etc. I also have the giant bottle of this on my desk at preschool to use throughout the day too.

3 Inner Defense // This is one we don’t have yet, but is on my list to order asap! I’ve heard from so many friends this is a game changer the second you start to feel not your best self. So many incredible testimonies with this one!

4 Thieves Foaming Hand Soap // We’ve all heard it a million times, we need to be washing our hands often and well! This hand soap not only smells incredible, but is infused with Thieves for all incredible benefits & germ fighting powers. ;)

5 Thieves Household Cleaner // If you’ve been around for a while or if we’re friends in real life, you know my love for Thieves cleaner runs deep! This is literally the ONLY cleaner we use for everything (floors, countertops, high chairs, vehicles, carpet, laundry stains, bathrooms, etc.).

This is always my number one recommendation to add on to your very first order! You only need one capful of this concentrated cleaner to add to a spray bottle and simply fill the rest with water! It’s amazing. We have four glass spray bottles filled and ready to go throughout the house so there within reach for spills or sanitizing! Okay enough about thieves cleaner, go grab yourself a bottle or three. ;)

6 Thieves Roll On // This little roller bottle makes it easy peasy to roll on Thieves topically. We keep one of these on our night stand and roll it on the bottoms of our feet and spine before bed to stay feeling our best. I also have one of these in my oily pouch that I take anytime we leave the house.

Quick Tip: If you don’t have this roller yet, but have a bottle of Thieves, you can pop a roller top on a regular bottle of Thieves for all the same benefits and convenience. :)

7 Thieves Wipes // These have been a game changer as a momma. I love having these on hand to wipe down carts, tables at restaurants, our phone screens (SO many germs on our phones), steering wheel in the vehicle etc.

8 Super C Supplement // There’s a chewable option or a capsule option. Making sure our bodies are getting enough Vitamin C is SO important, especially during the winter time and during flu season.

9 Elderberry gummies // We were late to the elderberry game and just started taking elderberry gummies/syrup/cough drops a few months ago. I’m so bummed I didn’t grab these sooner, but they’ve been so helpful this winter in lessoning the symptoms when hubs and I came down with the flu and helping keep our little man healthy - with a whole lot of prayers. :)

BONUS items

Ningxia Red // This goodness is FILLED with antioxidants to nourish our bodies! Do a quick google search for the benefits of the wolf berry or goji berry - so amazing. I love adding a couple ounces of this to glass of sparkling water for a refreshing little afternoon pick me up.

Frankincense Essential Oil // Frank is an incredible oil that goes all the way back to Jesus’s time. While your googling the benefits of the wolf berry, search for the benefits of Frank too. ;) We roll this one on our spines for helping keep our bodies functioning at top notch. I also add this too Ollie’s baby wellness roller too. :)

Thieves Spray // I love the Thieves wipes for on the go, but the mini Thieves Spray is another great item to throw in a purse or diaper bag to have on the go too.

If you’ve already got a Young Living account set up, hop on and load up your cart before these items sell out or go on backorder. A few of these items are already out of stock, but I know Young Living is working SO hard to keep up with the demand without compromising quality. Grab what you can, do a little research on DIY’s you can make if something is out of stock right now. :)

If you don’t have a Young Living membership yet, let’s get you started sweet friend! Our health is always worth investing in, but I’ve been reminded of just how important this is now more than ever! Creating your account takes just a couple minutes and is so fun to choose which way you want to get started and customize your order to you! And to make it even sweeter Young Living is sending you a free full size bottle of Lavender lotion and a bottle of Valor ($50 oil and one of my all time favorites for calming anxious feelings) for free this month when you use your starter kit as your first Essential Rewards order! YAY!!

Click the image above to get started or simply shoot me a message right here on instagram and I would LOVE to chat with you about options, walk you through grabbing your kit step by step, or just answer any questions you have!

I hope this is helpful sweet friends! Praying you all stay healthy and well this winter!

Valentine Ideas for Little Ones

1 book // 2 box + paints // 3 pacis // 4 soap // 5 outfit // 6 rainboots

I shared on insta stories last week a little Valentine basket I put together for Ollie. Doing a little gift on Valentine’s Day was something my mom always did with us as kids and I loved it so much! It was as simple as a little necklace and a box of candy hearts or a valentine book and candy, but it was just such a fun surprise and a tradition I want to carry on with Oliver. :)

Here’s what I included in his Valentine Basket this year as well as a few bonus options to add or swap out to fit your own kiddos. :) (if you hover over the name of each item, I tried to include direct links for everything to make it simple to find things!)

• A book // I picked up this one - That’s Me Loving You Board Book // Another cute option is this In My Heart Book

• Pacifiers // our little guy has loved the mam pacis since he was newborn, so we personally use these ones! They aren’t the cutest pacis ever, but he loves them & they work. :)

• Neutral Paci Clip // these are so fun to pair with his outfits + come in handy for keeping track of his paci when we’re out and about.

• Tubby Todd All Over Ointment // We love and believe in this company so much that I’ve teamed up with them to gift you all a 15% discount code - YAY! Click this link or the image below to save 15% as a little valentine gift from us to you! Truly so grateful for each and everyone of you who follow along and read this little blog. :)

• Valentine Outfit // I picked up this one from target for literally $10. So cute & it came with a shirt, pants, and a bib! I love Target for cute clothes that are budget friendly and perfect for daycare and playing in. Here is the girl version of the same outfit. :)

• Fun Spring Shoes // Oliver doesn’t have any rainboots yet, but I think they are just the cutest thing! Baby shoes are my weakness so he may just need a pair soon. ;)

• Craft Items // Ollie is still a little young to do crafts, but I picked up some fun big valentine stickers to try with him. When he gets a little bit older, I think it will be so fun to do painting projects with him - the preschool teacher is so excited for all the arts and crafts to come. ;) I love the simple cardboard boxes or figurines and letting kiddos paint them whatever colors they’d like. Target has fun colors of the little acrylic paints. Amazon had this fun heart shaped box, but I’m sure you could find them at any craft store. :)

*budget friendly tip: reuse a basket you already have around the house, you can even reuse tissue paper or confetti paper too! & then just put the basket back where it goes after Valentine’s day. :) If you need baskets around the house, here’s a few cute options.

This little rope basket // this one with tassels is so sweet! Love the neutral color, but the pink ombre is so adorable too if you have a little girl!

Wire basket option // love how this one can hang on a wall to be repurposed after using as a gift basket.

Other Ideas for kiddos a little bit older

• play doh + heart cookie cutters // this fun pastel pack of play doh would be perfect for valentine’s day and easter.

• cookie mix + frosting + sprinkles + fun spoon all in a mixing bowl // how fun would it be to put together a little cookie baking basket and make it an experience to do together with kiddos?! Throw it all in a pink or red plastic mixing bowl to make it festive. :)

• bubble bath + bath toys + bath paints // I love items that also double as experiences or activities for kiddos to do. Make a fun bubble bath night, and you could even do some cozy jammies to snuggle up in afterwards.

• donuts + coloring book + crayons // a little breakfast and coloring date to start valentine’s day off right. So simple but sometimes the simplest things are their favorite memories!

Happy February friends! I hope that gives you a few fun ideas. :) If you put together any valentine baskets for your kiddos, I’d love to see them! & if we’re not already friends on instagram, let’s be friends! :) I’d love to get to know you more!

Goals for 2020

Here we are at the beginning of February and I’m still trying to finish up my goals for 2020. ;) I love love love using the PowerSheets Goal Setting Guide from the Cultivate What Matters Shop. They are all about grace - filled goal setting and I’m so thankful for that encouragement as a new momma in the midst of a full season trying to pray over and intentionally choose goals for this coming year. :)

• Click this link to head on over and grab your powersheets to make this your best year yet!

I also have to remind myself they don’t have to be perfect and I can always change things along the way this year! I don’t know about you but I always feel like I hesitate or put things off because I want to be just right instead of just diving in and starting and figuring it out as I go. ;) Here’s what I have down so far for goals this year & I’m slowly learning to just hold it all with open hands and watch God work. :) SO much easier said than done!

Study God’s Word

The past nine months of learning how to navigate life around a little person’s schedule and survive on little sleep has been an adjustment to say the least. ;) I LOVED waking up early, making a hot cup of coffee and curling up to study God’s word and read each morning before the day began. It filled my soul up and reminded my heart of God’s truths. Since our sweet boy has arrived I’ve fumbled my way through grabbing bits and pieces of scripture where I can, but if I’m being honest, I haven’t made it the priority that it needs to be.

The few mornings that I’ve made it a priority to wake up early and spend even 15 minutes reading scripture, a devotional, journaling etc. it has blessed me in so many ways. Spending time with the Lord totally doesn’t have to be in the morning, I just know for me that always starts my day off on the right foot and I truly enjoy that morning time. I’m hopeful we’ll get into a better routine with sleep with our sweet boy, but even if we don’t, I’m determined to start bringing back morning quiet times and studying God’s Word. God knows our seasons and I think he blesses our willingness to spend time with Him right where we’re at.

Read 20 books in 2020

More reading less scrolling this year. :) Reading is something the fills my soul up. I love reading + continually learning through books. Personal development books are some of my absolute favorites, but I also picked up a few fiction or “just for fun” books this year and I’m SO excited about those too. :) I’ll share a book list here on the blog soon!

Date Nights with Hubs

Both Riley & I truly love parenthood so much. It’s been our favorite season yet to get to learn how to navigate being mommy & daddy together to our precious boy. It has also been a huge adjustment learning how love and serve each other well and our weekly date nights have definitely taken a back seat in this season. Now that Ollie is a little bit older and has been doing okay with babysitters, we’re working on bringing back date nights together. :) We’ve also talked about waking up in the mornings to have coffee together before we leave for work. Just finding little ways to make time for each other and making it a priority to pray together each day are two things we’re working on this year. :)

Being a Present Momma to Our Sweet Boy

The months are already flying by and I want to soak up every moment with our little guy! As Oliver gets older, I hope he remembers a momma who is present more than anything. Who says yes to playing together. To making messes and memories. To reading just one more book. I hope he remembers a momma who’s joyful and patient and gives grace. I’m so excited to start traditions together as a little family. Thanking Jesus for the gift of being a momma and doing my very best to be the momma He made me to be.

Creating a Blog/Brand that Glorifies God

I love that God uniquely creates all of us with gifts and passions. I LOVE to be creative. As a kid I loved all things arts and crafts. In high school, art class was my favorite class of the day. I love dreaming up ideas and just creating! Four years ago I created a blog on the floor of my sisters bedroom while home over break from college. God has grown this platform in ways I’ve never imagined, I want to steward this opportunity well. I have no idea what God has in store for all the creative passions I have, but I pray I use it all for His glory! I’m holding it all with open hands, and setting some big goals to carve out time consistently to pour into these passions.

Create a life giving + cozy home

Being a homemaker doesn’t always come naturally for me. I’m not the greatest at cooking or baking. I’m terrible at keeping up with cleaning around the house. I love the idea of having everything organized, but never prioritize the time to actually organize things. ;) BUT I’ve been listening to podcasts and started reading the book the Life Giving Home by Sally Clarkson and I’m so inspired to create a home that’s not just beautiful, but purposeful, and LIFE GIVING. A place that feels cozy, where our family and friends feel like they can just relax and be themselves. A place to create memories as a family. A place to gather. A place to laugh. A place to cry. A place to rest. That’s what I envision and pray for in our home. & while this goal will stretch me, I’m so so excited to work on it this year.

Cultivate contentment + steward what God’s blessed us with

Gosh this is an area I’m always learning and being challenged in. With instant gratification everywhere, new trends every week, and social media making it way to easy to compare, this area is HARD. Hubs and I have been praying over this season and what it looks like for our family & we’ve been praying over some big financial goals together. He is SO much better at this than me, but I’m so thankful for his grace as we learn together.

I love that Nancy Ray does the Contentment Challenge each year & I’m scheduling this in at some point throughout this year. :) Click here to read her blogpost on this year’s contentment challenge and the backstory behind it. :)

Organize our Photos

Oh man this is going to be a huge project this year. I’m planning to start working on this one over the summer knowing it will be time consuming. I love taking pictures and capturing the little joys in day to day life, but I never take the time to organize and back up our photos or print them off or make books. I need to get better about this! One, so we can enjoy our photos, and two, so we don’t lost all these precious memories if something were to happen to my phone/computer.

I’m planning to do this in parts: uploading/backing up photos, organizing them into categories digitally, printing off photos, and creating a few photo books, etc. This will be a work in progress but I’m so excited about this project!

There you have it friends! My goals for 2020. We’re a month in and it’s already been a year full of so many sweet moments, memories in the making, and learning to lean on Jesus over and over again.

Praying this year is full of abundance for you all!

The Ultimate Holiday Book Roundup

Hi sweet friends! Oh my goodness it’s been so long since I’ve popped into this little space. Between heading back to work + being a wife & momma + in the thick of the school year teaching preschool + running an oily business + and celebrating weddings with family and friends, it’s been a crazy few months. I’ve missed this little space so much and I’ve got so many fun holiday post ideas I’ve been working on little by little. :)

I’m not quite sure how it’s the middle of November already but we’ve already had snow three times here in the midwest, and if it’s going to snow, I’m going to make the most of it and get in the Christmas Spirit! I’m breaking out all the twinkle lights + Pentatonix Christmas music + peppermint hot chocolate!

This will be Ollie’s first Christmas and we could not be more excited to celebrate the holidays with our little guy this year! Holidays are SO much fun with kiddos. One of my favorite little traditions I’ve started with him is putting together a festive little bookshelf for each season. He has a couple IKEA shelves in his room to display our favorite books we’re loving, so this has been the perfect spot to set out books for each season and holiday. Linking our IKEA floating shelves here.

I searched Pinterest, Instagram, and numerous blogposts to create the ultimate holiday book round up! Some of these are on our shelves at home, and some of these are still on our wishlist. :) I hope this is fun and gives you a few ideas if you’re looking for festive books for little ones!

S is for Santa

A Christmas Alphabet board book with the cutest vintage illustrations

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The Night Before Christmas

Gorgeous watercolor pictures that tell this classic story

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Pick a Pine Tree

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! Such a sweet story about creating Christmas traditions with family and friends. The pictures in this one are SO cute, this one could double as Christmas decor displayed on a shelf.

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Last Stop on the Reindeer Express

A fun whimsical holiday story about a little girl who doesn’t have time to mail the card she had wanted to send to her grandpa until she stumbles upon a magical mailbox.

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The Nutcracker Board Book

A simple classic tale in the cutest little board book

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Dasher

I recently came across this one in our preschool book order and it looks so magical! So excited to get a chance to read this holiday story.

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Jesus Calling: The Story of Christmas

This sweet kid friendly story would be perfect to read all month long. I love that there’s scripture on each page tied to the story. This would be such a great tradition to start with little ones!

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The Polar Express

I couldn’t not include this classic story we loved as kids. I’ve always loved the illustrations in this magical story.

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Olivia Helps with Christmas

The kiddos always love the Olivia books and this one is perfect for the holidays

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The Tree That’s Meant to Be

One of the books i’m most excited to add to Ollie’s bookshelf this year. The illustrations are adorable and the story sounds so sweet

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The Story of Christmas

A sweet board book that reminds us all of the true meaning of Christmas and introduces the nativity story. So excited about this one for our little man too. What an honor it is to get to teach him all about our Savior.

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Olive the Other Reindeer

I feel like this is a must have, since our sweet boy is Oliver. :) The preschoolers always love this silly story too.

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The Colors of Christmas

A simple holiday board book introducing colors

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Home for Christmas

Another fun baby friendly board book with little lift the flaps

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Where’s Santa Claus?

Another adorable book perfect for Oliver’s age right now. This one has soft felt flaps that make this story so fun!

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The Wish Tree

I grabbed this one last winter for our preschool class and the colors and pictures are so fun and the story is the sweetest - all about how our wishes can come true in the most unexpected ways.

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The Little Reindeer

My parents were gifted this book a day before we told them if we were expecting a little boy or a little girl. We shared with them at Christmas that we were expecting a little boy and had picked out the name Oliver (Ollie). As my mom opened up this book a friend had gifted to them that same weekend, the main characters name is Ollie - God shows up in the best ways!

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Babies Love Christmas

A sweet and simple holiday board book with lift the flaps, big pictures, and simple holiday words. This would make the perfect stocking stuffer and a fun book to keep in the diaper bag for on the go.

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The Night Before Christmas

Another version of the classic tale with beautiful illustrations and thick durable pages.

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Bear Stays Up for Christmas

We love the bear books both at home and at preschool. We’ve read this one a few times this holiday season already.

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The ABC’s of Christmas

This little vintage board book goes through every letter of the alphabet with fun holiday pictures for each letter.

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The Gingerbread Man

One of my absolute favorite themes we do in preschool around Christmas time is gingerbread so this one was a must in the holiday book roundup :)

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How Winston Delivered Christmas

I stumbled upon this book as I was browsing a few of the other holiday book picks above. I’ve never heard of this one before, but it looks like such a cute advent story.

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A Christmas Carol

I loved watching all of the Christmas classics as a kid, so it was so fun to find a little board book for A Christmas Carol!

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Over The River & Through The Wood

One of the many versions of this classic holiday story!

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Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Another one I ordered last year for preschool and loved for wintertime and the holidays

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Little Blue Truck’s Christmas

The twinkle light surprise at the end of this book is the BEST! The kiddos love this so much

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Our Little Deer

A sweet short story about the love we have for our little ones with fun plush reindeer antlers on top

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Baby’s First Slide & See Christmas

These slide & see books are SO fun for little ones. Oliver smiles every time. Usborne has SO many fun interactive books. We get our Usborne books from my sweet friend Liz & our good friend Jen!

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Red & Lulu

A sweet story about the season of miracles as two bird find their way back to each other, reminding us of the true gifts of this season - being surrounded by those we love

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What is a Narwhal?

A whimsical winter board book with sturdy pages and simple flaps perfect for little ones

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Wendell the Narwhal

Another fun narwhal book for winter time about joining in and being you when you don’t fit the rest of the group

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The classic tale of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss teaching little ones about having kind hearts.

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I can’t wait to see what holiday books you all are reading with your littles! If you have a little festive book wall or read any of these books with your littles, tag @beautifulseasonco on instagram and I’d love to see! :)